Ivy, Harley, Selina <3
awww this is gorgeous art! Though I’ve never agreed that Selina would really be FRIENDS with the other two. I was actually hoping that was Joker when I saw the small versions.
Even bad girls Hang Ten.
Another win for Duss!
(Source: enterthemadhouse)
Feminist Starfire by Cynthia Sousa
Okay, I LOL.
BatmanXCatwoman AAAAAND JokerxHarley?! Instant reblog!
Awww, this is fun!!!
I want this as a poster!
(Source: romanticgraze)
(Source: nonsenseprime)
Quick sketches i did of Harley and catwoman . I’m happy with these practices…Harley i did in less than 10 minutes.
Gorgeous!
The time has finally come to post this! I did this interview with a woman who maintains a blog on Catwoman, she approached me quite some time ago and I agreed, then took quite some time to answer the questions and then she took quite some time to respond. And when she did, she was literally about to drop a baby. Yes, an actual baby. So it’ll be quite some time before she can get around to posting this interview on her blog. So I asked if I could post it here, on this blog, as it acts as a bit of a 101 on Ignorant Questions Misinformed People Ask About Sex Work. Which I get all the time. And I just got one that made me want to punch a wall so I figured: now’s as good a time as any to post it!
I was pretty harsh on the interviewer, which she agrees was fair considering some of her questions. She acknowledged in our email exchanges where her ignorances lie and was willing to take on the criticism I leveled in this interview. On the whole, she is a sex worker supporter I believe is genuine and where I have critiqued her she has acted out of ignorance rather than malice, and adjusted her views and attitudes accordingly upon receiving criticism for them.
She wanted to conduct this interview with me in response to the huge amount of whorephobia and slut-shaming that goes on amongst Catwoman fans, which certainly reflects my experience (scans_daily & the ‘feminists’ there spring to mind…).
I appreciate reads & reblogs of this as I believe this information is really important to circulate or, at the very least, to take on an individual level. I have noted, with dismay and disappointment, that sex worker issues are not considered as trendily rebloggable amongst the elite of comics politeratti as issues of feminism, racism and heterosexism, even though sex work intersects with all of them to high degrees, and those who have the power to spread information further usually don’t when it comes to this matter. I will be very grateful if my followers would take ten minutes to read this and hope that it offers you food for thought.
1.) Before I start, I’d like to ask which term you prefer when referring to sex workers—there are lot of negative connotations to words like ‘hooker’ and ‘whore’, due to their usage as insults to women rather than a means of describing a profession, and I’d like to remain as respectful to you and others in your line of work as possible. So, how would you describe yourself in regards to your job?
Yes, there are a lot of negative connotations to words like ‘hooker’ and ‘whore’, even to ‘rub and tug’ and ‘stripper’. This is why terms with more pretension or veneer of class, like ‘escort’, ‘callgirl’, ‘exotic dancer’ and so on are often used by sex workers who feel the stigma of their profession as projected onto them by society.
But these terms are still problematic. One of the biggest problems with this stigma is that women’s sexuality or sexual practices are overwhelmingly considered to be one and the same with their ‘moral fibre’ or worth as human beings (although please note it is not just women who work in the sex industry). Therefore it is important to position sex work AS work, first and foremost, rather than confuse it with ‘morality’. Understanding that sex work is a job like any other is critical to gradually erasing the overwhelming discrimination sex workers face.
Therefore it is appropriate for ALL people to refer to ALL forms of sex work and its practioners as ‘sex work’ and ‘sex workers’ - unless specifically instructed otherwise by individuals who may prefer a different term for themselves as *an individual* (do not assume that one person’s preference will be common).
Sex work is an umbrella term to refer to the full spectrum of work in the sex industry. This includes: ‘prostitution’ (sex work is also the preferred specific term for this type of work, or full service sex work), stripping, massage, BDSM & fetish, porn, oppportunistic, phone sex and peepshow. A self-defined sex worker may be doing one or many of these types of work. No, it is not polite to enquire as to what specifically they are doing.
Whilst many sex workers have reclaimed derogatory terms, like racist or homophobic epithets it is not appropriate for outsiders to use them.
1b.) And just to cover my bases here, sex work is legal where you live, correct?
Sex work is decriminalised in the state of NSW of Australia, where I live. ‘Legal’ means something different- it would mean, as an industry, it would be under full and total control of the State, which would not be ideal. But it is decriminalised which simply means it is not a crime to work in the sex industry in NSW, although there are regulations that guide the industry (many of which are discriminatory and opposed by sex workers). Therefore, although sex workers in NSW still have to face societal discrimination and stigma due to the heteronormative sexphobia that permeates our culture, this is a model state in terms of freedom and legal conditions.
1c.) And you are a Batman fan?
A huge Batman fan.
Okay, first, let’s talk about Selina Kyle.
2.) As a member of the sex trade industry, as well as a huge fan of DC comics, I imagine you have a unique perspective on Selina’s portrayal as a prostitute. How do you feel about it, personally?
‘Sex trade industry’ is a nonsensical term to use. ‘Sex trade’ has long-embedded negative connotations that imply non-consent for a start; it’s also redundant and it is too easy to skew a concept of ‘trade’ away from ‘money’, which ‘work’ more inarguably suggests. Sex industry or sex work is sufficient.
I think most of the portrayal of Selina’s history as a sex worker has been simply godawful - rife with media fantasy cliches and sensationalism, objectification, voyeurism, perpetuating a lot of misinformation and misrepresentation and thereby feeding all the stigma associated with sex work based not on fact but on moralistic proselytizing… ie: don’t be a sexually powerful woman or bad things will happen to you. Vom.
It’s almost hilarious how Frank Miller gave her quite a powerful, assured start as a sex worker in Year One and every author who used that storyline since took that source material and … completely ignored it. And just dragged Selina into boring, misogynistic, sex phobic cliche. I don’t know how people can be so uninspired and lack so much originality or consideration or empathy… if they’re inspired by Miller’s work, why go backwards? Why be spurred on by too many episodes of Law & Order: SVU?
3.) Do you think it’s a positive thing to have one of the most well known female comic book characters with an origin that includes sex work?
Yes, I do.
You haven’t indicated whether you want me to specify why I would think it’s a good thing, but in brief: I think it COULD serve to underline the fact that sex work is a job anyone could do and, through Selina, it could be demystified and even contribute to greater understanding of the sex industry. It COULD be used to help make people see that sex workers are normal people, good people like Selina is, with complexity and humanity. It COULD. Except that the writers thus far who have handled it just chose to go with cliche fantasy, so actually it’s mostly just further contributing to negative stereotypes. What a waste.
4.) Batman: Year One, which has arguably had the biggest impact on the Batman universe post-crisis, as well as many other comics since then (Her Sister’s Keeper, Selina’s Big Score, Catwoman Annual #2) have all portrayed Selina as a dominatrix. How does that differ from being a ‘regular’ sex worker (that is, someone providing plain ‘vanilla’ sex)?
Dominatrixes cater for clients with fetishes and kinks. Many Dominatrixes do not offer a ‘full service’ (ie: penis in vagina sex) but they usually give a ‘happy ending’ (handjob to climax) and may occasionally perform oral sex or receive it, depending on the Domme in question. An extremely common component of a Dominatrixes work is strap-on service - which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like - fucking a client in the butt (or other orifices if they have them) with a strap-on dildo.
Dominatrixes also provide services like discipline, ‘torture’, bondage, and fantasy roleplays.
Generally, what a full service sex worker (previously identified as ‘prostitute’) does is a basic full service - massage, oral, sex. BUT many sex workers ALSO provide the services of a Dominatrix but do not necessarily specialise in them or advertise them as their main skills/services. Likewise, a Dominatrix may offer ‘full service’ to clients at her discretion.
5.) Lots of Catwoman fans say that Selina’s leap from being a dominatrix to being a cat burglar doesn’t make any sense. I disagree. If I have interests and skills that have nothing to do with my job, I don’t see why Selina wouldn’t have the same. What do you think?
Yeah, I agree. I think that’s just plain old whorephobia at work in that attitude - sex workers, for some reason, are always called upon to justify their participation in their jobs far more than any other works in any other industries. Well, not for ‘some reason’ at all - the reason is very specific: people hate and fear sex, especially when it’s commercialised, and believe sex sullies and corrupts people. Which is weirdly paranoid and incomprehensible to me.
Sex workers are perceived as being absolutely defined by their work in a way few other workers are. To outsiders, our jobs must compose the whole of our identity, not for any logical reason - but because it’s such a mystery to that outsider, such a taboo, so ‘different’ and so they can’t conceive of us as people beyond that. The same is true of any marginalised group - queer people, trans* people, people of colour - the assumption is always what marks someone out as ‘different’ MUST be the sum total of their being - the idea that we’re human, with diverse activities and interests, same as any other, is bizarrely incomprehensible to non-workers.
6.) Do you think there are any skills that Selina might have picked up in her time as a sex worker that might have actually benefited her later when she became Catwoman? For example, I’m guessing that after a while, you get a pretty accurate sixth sense about when a situation has the potential to go sour—that sort of thing?
Yes, whilst not foolproof, sex workers definitely develop intuition and a good ability to read people and situations. You also learn how to engage and interact with a variety of people and situations and become very perceptive and aware of people and their behaviour and how to respond to it to keep things running smoothly. These are crucial skills not just for predicting when something might ‘go sour’ (why, why, why do you outsiders always have to focus everything on the violence you believe is inherent to sex work???) but for building a good relationship with a client, putting them at ease, ensuring they have a good experience - and even return. It’s a basic asset to successful business, really and I think anyone in any field that requires a great deal of face time and interaction with people would say they develop the same skills. Of course the circumstances surrounding sex work are often a lot more sensitive and intimate… which means sex workers often hone these skills very quickly. A comic book artist working for DC observed to me once how quickly I am able to communicate with people face to face at their level… but I used to be painfully shy…
7.) I’m not quite sure how to phrase this one, but: my view of Selina’s time as a dominatrix is that she didn’t necessarily have sex with every client who paid for her time. Since part of her job description is being in control, it was probably up to her whether or not she actually had sex with her client. Is that plausible? I mean, it is up to you who you take as a client and how far you take things, isn’t it?
Of course it’s plausible. It is, in fact, common reality. But really, it also depends on the type of services she advertised as ones she would do. Most sex workers decide personally what their limits are and work based on those. Clients enquire and decide whether they will see the worker based on this. These boundaries are personal and individually defined.
It constantly baffles me just how little understanding people have of sex work and yet there are multiple resources for people to access if they take the time to look for them. Like, any number of blogs written by sex workers. But they hear a few news stories or watch a few cliche movies and consider that their education.
But why are you concerned about whether or not she had sex with every client? Would that make you view her differently? In what way? And why?
Also, being in control is a key component of sex work (of any customer service work?) regardless of the type.
08.) Selina’s origin is pretty controversial amongst her fans. Here’s a sampling of quotes from the most recent post about her origin on the official DC message boards (I warn you, if they hit my angry buttons, I‘m sure they‘re going to hit yours even harder):
‘Angry buttons’ or ‘outright triggering buttons’? It is very important to be considerate of potential reaction to the material you provide and just as you would put a trigger warning on posts about rape or homophobia or ableism or racism, so should you consider the same about this.
“Could you imagine rooting for a character who used to sell her body? What trash!”
“Catwoman Year One clearly shows Selina as a FAKE dominatrix, not a disgusting prostitute.”
“Being a hooker degrades the character. It makes Selina a sl*t. A wh0re. Selina’s a classy woman who’s above that kind of trashiness.“
“Hookers equal trash. Selina’s not trash, therefore she was never a hooker.”
I wish I could say this stance is uncommon, but it isn’t. This attitude doesn’t just dismiss Dominatrix!Selina, characterizing her as worthless, but it also dismisses you and all those in your profession as ‘trash‘. Part of the reason I wanted to conduct this interview is to put a face on the sex trade for fandom—so that those who hold these opinions might start thinking of sex workers as real people rather than less-than-human. These are incredibly hurtful, negative sentiments, and they’re everywhere. How do they make you feel?
I feel like this whole question and the way you presented it to me is quite manipulative, invasive and presumptuous. It’s actually not my responsibility to stand in as a token sex worker, the face of all sex workers everywhere and placing the responsibility on me to start making people think of sex workers as human is actually a really huge and unfair ask. Because the likelihood is, they won’t - they’ll just start thinking of me in the terms they’ve used above. You don’t appreciate how huge what you asked of me is or the impact it could have on me and that’s a problem. Especially because I’m such a bitch when it comes to this issue and whorephobic ignoramuses always want to be trapped with honey. And, in my business, as we say - ‘no money, no honey’. So no sweet understanding from me. That makes me even more vulnerable.
But about these people? Again, it’s a manipulative question, assuming I even want to engage with these people, that I should allow them to affect me. You didn’t really consider how it would impact me to ask me to engage with what they’ve said, that my whole day could be ruined by their words turning around in my head. I think they’re disgusting sex-negative, whorephobic, misogynistic, classist miserable smears of slime who aren’t worth the little toe of any sex worker I have ever known and who certainly don’t equal us either in intelligence, knowledge or understanding of the complexities of the world and the kyriarchy we operate in.
Unfortunately, as you noted, their sentiments are not uncommon. They are, in fact, reflected widely in society and the unfortunate impact on sex workers are that we are hugely discriminated against, shamed, looked down upon… from getting denied a home loan to to being able to seek legal retribution for crimes against us to even just feeling like our kids won’t get harrassed at school for what we do… or taken from us… we face a lot of oppression, that is systemic, institutionalised and considered absolutely A-OK. So as much contempt as I have for people who have this mentality, their impact on mine and my peers’ lives is unfortunately very real and very pervasive and very difficult, draining, exhausting and depressing to deal with day in and day out. Particularly when most of us feel that we need to conceal our jobs to escape this stigma or even to escape the law.
08b.) What would you like to say to these people?
You do realise you are revealing your paralysing stupidity, crushing ignorance and vindictive hatred to the whole world, right? ON the internet? Where that shit will stain forever? Right?
08c.) Do you think there’s any way to stamp out rampant whorephobia like this?
In order to do so, the whole of society needs to be uprooted, deconstructed and rebuilt… because whorephobia is a component of sex negativity, intersecting with misogyny, racism, transphobia, homophobia, classism and ableism. And all of these things are not just embedded but enshrined in our world. We cannot fix one without fixing all of them and that is a vast task.
But it can be broken down into many smaller ones, enacted throughout many lifetimes: more accurate and positive representation, decriminalisation in places where it’s illegal, understanding of it as work, wider-accessed and promoted resources written by sex workers, recognising sex workers as the experts of our own field and conceding to our opinions and stated needs as pertains to our work rather than trying to tell us what we need… and for allies to speak out against whorephobia, wherever you see it. And there’s lots of other ways. Being just conscious and aware in a fucked up world is doing something, at least, about yourself.
09.) Prostitution is often portrayed in the media as something that you’re forced into, due to circumstance or outside influence. There must be cases that fit this description, but there must also be people who embrace the industry as a lifestyle choice, right?
I’m really a little put off by the entreating tone your questions have taken, as though I have to convince you because you’re afraid the most horrible idea is the true one…
‘Lifestyle choice’ - pah. A romantic notion, again overwhelmingly applied to sex work as somehow critical to justifying it. It’s more than a little classist, as well. The overwhelming majority of people do not work vocationally, but just to get by - to provide for their families, to pay their mortgage, to get through school, just to get through another week before they party on the weekend.
And so do the majority of sex workers. Yes, they work in the sex industry by *choice*, but would not consider it a ‘vocation’ or a ‘life calling’. And yes, of course there are those who embrace sex work and DO consider it their life’s mission and their natural vocation. Just as yes, there are those who are forced into it, in various ways.
But both extremes are in the minority. The truth lies somewhere inbetween, as with ANY industry and ANY workforce. Most people are doing it just to pay their way through life and sex work happens to afford a remuneration and flexibility that few other fields of work do for the same amount of work - which is really, really convenient to a huge variety of people for a whole slew of reasons.
Also, I’m so sick of people talking about ‘choice’ like it’s black and white. Choice is a spectrum. Many people chose to enter the sex industry because it was the most convenient and accessible thing at the time, but would really prefer to do something else but do not have the opportunity.
But why is that so bad? It is NO DIFFERENT to millions of other people’s stories working in thousands of other industries. Why does the fact it is sex work somehow make this common reality more awful? There is sex-negativity inherent to that attitude.
Lots of people are working in the sex industry and it may not be their ‘dream job’ but they’re perfectly content and happy to do the work. The greatest stress for sex workers is really the discrimination we face by greater society - particularly in places where it is illegal, creating difficult working environments.
10.) Is there anything about Selina’s origin as a sex worker that you would change, if given the opportunity? Something to make it more accurate, or more empowering, etc.?
Pretty much everything outside of Year One and even Year one isn’t perfect. It’s all pretty much been a grotesque cliche written by people who clearly don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about and are not concerned with sensitive representation but writing the most voyeuristic & damaging tripe possible. Mindy Newell, Darwyn Cooke - I’m looking at you.
And now I’d like to move on to some basic questions about the sex trade that only someone on the inside could answer accurately.
11.) As I understand it, sex workers often don’t just provide sex. A client is paying for your time and how that time is spent differs on a case by case basis, is that right?
Yes. Sex workers provide a huge variety of services to clients, including average companionship, friendly ears and even counselling-of-sorts. It can mean just cuddling, even going out to dinner or a movie. It can also mean the provision of kink services. It can also mean tutelage of sorts to the inexperienced. Many clients access sex workers for a variety of reasons - sex but with counselling thrown in - the intimacy of a sexual situation - close contact with another human body - can make sharing troubles easier or more soothing for many people. It should be noted, however, that this can be very exhausting for sex workers on a psychological level as most of us are not trained therapists - providing emotional support to our friends is draining for most people, it is doubly so when they are strangers and doing so is not strictly defined under your job description. Most sex workers are fairly happy to help clients shoulder their burdens, within reason, but it is an underappreciated aspect of our work.
But again, I sense there’s something else behind this question as there so often is - the idea that sex work is somehow more justifiable or ‘okay’ if it doesn’t always involve sex. Once more, that carefully, subversively cultivated sex-negativity is rearing its head. I don’t really understand why people think explaining that sex doesn’t always happen makes sex work ‘better’. The fact of the matter is, sex is the main component of sex work. AND THAT’S OKAY. There is nothing dirty or wrong or sullying or gross about that. It’s sex. It’s good for you. We’re designed to want it. And sex work enables accessing it in a pretty simple way that is ideal to many people. If sex work always included sex, every single time in every single job done by evey single worker - that would be just fine. There would be nothing wrong with wanting or providing only sex in an industry designed around it. To me, this is like asking a coffee-maker to assure you that they don’t ‘always make coffees - sometimes they make tea’. Like, so what if they do and so what if they don’t! Their job description is to make coffee!
12.) Most portrayals of sex work include some kind of abuse or victimization of the worker in question—even Selina’s origin in ’Her Sister’s Keeper’ shows Selina being beaten (and presumably raped—though it‘s never explicitly stated) by her pimp, Stan—and it‘s a commonly held belief that this is always the case. That’s not true, is it?
No. It’s not.
This common trope has been enacted against sex workers in stories for hundreds of years. And not just sex workers - but generally promiscuous women and queers. Why? Retribution. A sex-negative and patriarchal society must communicate the message that unless you are a heterosexual cisgendered man, you will be punished for engaging in sexual behaviour. Preferably really horribly.
It’s misogynistic, sex negative, homophobic, whorephobic… it’s pathetic, basic discrimination and oppression, aimed at keeping ‘lower people’ in their places.
Abuse and exploitation does happen in the sex industry - as it does in thousands of other industries. But the taboo surrounding sex is so heightened in our society, it just makes it more ‘sensational’ for a voyeuristic readership to partake of - not to mention reinforce all the ‘sex leads to misery and pain’ messages we’re drenched in at every turn. It’s basically another element of rape culture. This is rape culture for the uninformed.
13.) What typically goes into selecting a client (meeting, negotiation of price/duties, etc.)?
Like any business, the clients select you. Like any business, sex workers advertise their services through a variety of means and then take queries from clients. There is generally a set price per service with ‘extras’ charged at the discretion of the worker. How the worker and client communicate is dependent on how the worker actually operates - whether in a brothel, on the street, in a strip club or BDSM house, or independently. Independent workers are usually conversing with clients over email or the phone while others are doing face-to-face hustles. After a very short while, you learn to recognise cues that indicate whether the client is serious or just trying to get their jollies through chit-chat. Workers may also rule out clients based on their level of intoxication or level of politeness or personal hygiene.
If things come to that point and the client does not decide to seek someone else and the worker does not decide they don’t want to see this client, things will progress to the next point which is securing a location to work from - again, how this is done is dependent on the type of work, brothels and strip clubs have their own rooms, independent workers will do outcalls or receive clients at their home, etc - then the money changes hands and the service is provided.
If a client breaks rules or pushes boundaries during the service, it is generally understood the sex worker will stop the service and no money will be refunded as the client broke the verbal contract made in the negotiations. A worker’s capacity to do this often depends on the legal environment they are working in however - illegal environments always make it harder for sex workers to assert their rights.
14.) Is there anything you’d like to add that I haven‘t covered?
Educate yourselves. There are numerous websites and many books written by sex workers that offer a very different perspective to what you believe of sex work through the media - whether it’s the downtrodden abused street worker or the high class, blissfully happy ‘courtesan’. Sex workers come in these and many other variations, backgrounds and life experiences and trying to stereotype us is only short-changing us and ensuring discrimination will continue.
I’m kinda sad based on what I saw coming out of SDCC yesterday. Why? Let me show you:
Catwoman with her bra showing. And why not? According to the writer, “This is a dirty, dirty book, and you’re going to enjoy it.” Why? Because Catwoman is “a chick in a catsuit who steals things” “If anything goes wrong, she’ll scratch someone’s eyes out.”
Great. She’s not just sexy. She’s dirty.
Roy gawking at Kory. Let’s be thankful there is not spit on his chin. By the way this Roy never had a daughter named Lian. (It was also implied that Catwoman’s daughter has been jettisoned).
And now the most depressing.
On Tuesday DC broke the news via TMZ that “Lois and Superman were “dunzo” essentially making the retcon of the marriage into another celebrity break-up. Think about the choice they made. They went to a gossip site. A gossip site that covers break-ups and divorces and affairs. And they gave them the news that Lois and Superman would be no longer married. To the average person who doesn’t understand retconning and read the fine print, they are going to walk with a break-up not “it never happened”.
And now that that message is out, the deliver the second soundbit and image. Again think about the choice of outlet. Not a comic news site. Not an entertainment news site. A tabloid “the New York Daily News” - a paragon of subtly.
Look they want to reboot the marriage do it with respect. You want to know what I mean? Go read the Superman 2000 pitch that Morrison did. You’ll see. It ends the marriage but it will break your heart.
I don’t know if we’ll see the marriage end but we really don’t need to know it’s a Brand New Day in Metropolis:
Lois Lane, ace reporter. Lois Lane, celebrating a big story by getting laid. Lois Lane, a character who was a protagonist in the Action Comics #1 and the post-crisis reboot, The Man of Steel, reduced to someone designed to make you feel bad for Clark.
Of course, they could have chosen to have these panels be of her and new boyfriend heading out to dinner but then Lois wouldn’t be seemingly cheating on Clark. Because really, this isn’t about Lois. This is all about Clark:
Jim Lee:
“Many of us know what it’s like to be the odd man out and we think readers will have a soft spot for Clark when they see his reaction to Lois’ new boyfriend.”
But wait maybe, just maybe this will be a good story for Lois? Today we heard this:
“We’re really excited for fans to see this take on Lois in September. This character has always been a successful modern woman and her new role at the DAILY PLANET opens up dramatic new story possibilities.”
What kind of stories? Well here’s the headline from the Source “Lois Lane rides high with new love.” Because her love life defines her?
Lois Lane is dating a hunky new co-worker and the sky’s the limit for her career as the new boss of the Daily Planet’s TV and New media department.
Sigh.
And there was other stuff that bothered me:
Wonder Woman is back in heels. It’s dumb. Why? Change that. Please.
There was also a confirmation that Barbara Gordon is, as I suspected,deaged.
This Barbara Gordon is just out of college. Or maybe in college. There were conflicting statements.
Barbara Gordon a woman who who a librarian and had a law degree and who had been Batgirl and then Oracle in the old DCnU, is now the same age as Stephanie Brown.
Sigh.
This closeness in age should be interesting if the hints that Stephanie will be showing up are indeed true.
Of course, just who Stephanie will be is interesting. It was declared loud and clear yesterday that there are “four Robins” in the DCnU. Four.
My guess is that DC has now solved its issue of Stephanie being a Robin. Poof. She was never Robin. Makes those panel questions so much easier.
But there were two good things:
Batwoman, is reported on track with issues by Williams and Reeder finished up.
And someone called DC on their woeful amount of female creators when Didio asked the crowd what they had to do to win “you over”
Someone yelled out “Hire more women. You went from 12% women to 1% women.” Reports say there was applause.
Didio instead of saying, “working on it” or “right!” or “Wait to you see what Amanda Conner has coming” gave this response.
“Who should we have hired?”
Sigh.
Of course I could be completely misreading all of this and everything this will be hunky dory come September.
Sigh.
Okay, normally there isn’t any solo-Catwoman on this blog but this piece of art is too fucking awesome to not reblog.
(Source: the-catwoman)
Cat Harley commission by *mariochavez
Gotham City Sirens #26
Please tell me this series isn’t ending?
Please tell me it IS!
I don’t really mean that… or do I? I dunno. It just hasn’t lived up to what it could’ve been and I’d rather see my fave gals in infrequent, QUALITY appearances than lots of mediocre ones - something Harley has been plagued with ever since she went mainstream.
Sigh. I dunno. If they wanted to overhaul GCS and keep it going, of course I would support it - I remember, way back when the series began I supported it wholeheartedly despite criticism cos I wanted it to work. I still want it to work. But at the moment it’s just kinda tugging along.
And to be honest - I really suspect they never intended this to be a long-running ongoing. Like Streets of Gotham, I think it was a filler to add extra titles and dimension while the Batman world was sorting itself out and would be wrapped up once the new directions were established. But obviously, they’re not going to TELL us that at the beginning.
I could be wrong, of course.
Harley Quinn Result: Harley Quinn
[ ] You don’t tend to like people who are eager.
[x] You have been described as ‘annoying’ or ‘irritating’.
[x] You don’t like to be alone.
[x] You like bad boys.
[x] You have a sense of humour.
[x] You are usually the most active person in relationships.
[x] You make a lot of mistakes.
[x] You have done/will do psychology as a subject at school/college/university.
[x] Your favourite colour is red.
[ ] You are blonde.
Total: 8
Poison Ivy
[ x] You love plants and flowers.
[ ] You feel strongly about the environment.
[ ] Your favourite colour is green.
[ ] You have considered becoming a member of Greenpeace.
[ ] You like to take an active role in saving the environment.
[ x] You are a redhead.
[ ] You only have one close friend.
[ x] You are very irritable.
[ x] You use men to get what you want.
[x] You rarely get ill.
Total: 5
Catwoman
[ x] You love cats.
[x] Your possessions are very important to you.
[ ] You consider yourself a maneater.
[ ] You like your man to be a ‘real man’.
[x ] You get jealous easily.
[x] Trust is important to you.
[x] You have stolen something.
[ x] You have one or more pet cats.
[ ] Your favourite colour is purple.
[ x] You are a flirt.
Total: 7
Batgirl/Barbara Gordon/Oracle
[ x] You are determined.
[x] You are optimistic.
[] You are very good with computers.
[ ] You are disabled.
[x ] You wear glasses.
[x] You enjoy helping others for altruistic[selfless] reasons.
[ ] You can often be found in a library.
[ ] You are surrounded by men in your life.
[ x] You consider yourself as independent.
[x] You are intelligent.
Total: 6
Batgirl/Cassandra Cain
[ ] You are quiet.
[ ] You have dyslexia.
[ ] You have a short black bob haircut.
[] You tend to take games too far.
[x ] When you do something wrong, you beat yourself up over it.
[ ] You will do anything to prove yourself.
[ ] You don’t have much of a social life.
[] You have taken karate, boxing or similar fighting classes.
[] You get deja vu seemingly more than most people.
[x] You often guess what most people are going to say or do.
Total: 2
Flamebird/Mary Elizabeth Kane
[x] You are spoilt.
[ x] You are driven.
[ ] You enjoy tennis.
[ ] You would do anything to gain a love interest’s attention.
[ ] You are a lonely person.
[] Your favourite colour is red, gold or yellow.
[x] You are always looking for approval.
[] You are not very dedicated.
[x ] You look for opportunities to better yourself.
[x ] You are always looking for thrills.
Total: 5
Spoiler/Robin IV
[ ] You grew up without your father.
[ ] You have been pregnant.
[ ] You dislike puzzles and riddles.
[x] You have done volunteer work.
[ ] You have been to Africa.
[] You sometimes spy on people.
[] You do not trust your significant others fully.
[x] You tend to be disobedient.
[ ] You have broken your leg.
[ ] Your father is/was in the Armed Forces.
Total: 2
Batwoman
[ ] You are Jewish.
[ x] You are a lesbian (well, I’m queer).
[ ] You have a doctorate.
[ x] You have worked in a circus.
[ x] You have dated a police officer.
[ ] You are wealthy.
[ x] You are rarely without lipstick or a compact.
[] You have a charm bracelet.
[x] You consider yourself glamourous.
[ ] You use a hairnet.
Total: 4
Huntress
[x ] You are athletic.
[ ] You have an Italian heritage.
[ x] You admire your parents.
[ ] Your favourite colour is blue.
[ ] You have done archery.
[ x] You have a vengeful nature.
[] You tend to be violent.
[ ] You are unpredictable.
[ ] You have long dark hair.
[ ] You wear a leather jacket.
Total: 3
Renee Montoya/The Question
[ ] You are/were a police officer.
[ x] You think the police force are corrupt.
[ ] You have a Hispanic heritage.
[x] You are loyal.
[ ] An undesirable as fallen for you.
[ x] You do not let things go until you are satisfied with the results.
[ x] You are quick to anger.
[ ] You meditate.
[x ] You have lost loved ones.
[ ] You are always in control of yourself.
Total: 5
Black Queen
[ ] You are/have been a bodyguard.
[ ] You are foolhardy.
[x ] You are overprotective of those you care about.
[ x] You like it when people play hard to get.
[ x] When you fail, you try harder rather than give up.
[ ] You have had plastic surgery.
[ ] You have had an operation on your eye.
[ ] Ends justify the means.
[ x] You are trying to rebuild your confidence.
[ x] You are prone to self-hatred.
Total: 5
Talia al Ghul
[] You have/want a son.
[] You have a Chinese heritage.
[ ] You have an Arab heritage.
[ ] You are close to your father.
[ ] You have been married.
[ ] Your boyfriend/husband and father dislike each other.
[ ] You are manipulative.
[ ] You have a step-sister.
[ ] You still keep in contact with your exes.
[ ] You are still in love with your ex.
Total: 0
Phantasm
[ ] You are comfortable with the idea of death.
[ x] You are strong-willed.
[ ] You are a brunette. (er… the Phantasm is a redhead)
[ ] Eye for an eye is completely justified.
[] You grew up without your parents.
[ ] You have lived in Europe.
[ ] You see people working with you as ‘interfering’, not ‘helping’.
[] You have been on an ocean liner.
[x ] You have gone to university.
[] Your favourite colour is black.
Total: 2
Zatanna
[ ] You have long black hair.
[ x] You like magic tricks.
[ ] You are a Wiccan.
[ ] You watch magicians on television.
[ ] You believe Nostradamus’ predictions were correct completely.
[x ] You admire Leonardo Da Vinci’s work.
[ ] You are/have been a stage illusionist.
[ ] Your favourite animals are rabbits.
[ ] You have betrayed a close friend.
[ ] You are a confidante.
Total: 2
Fangushing and resources on Harley Quinn and the Joker. You know me as the babe who runs www.harley-quinn.com.
Anyways, this is where I'm a fan geek.
